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The doghouse

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Original poster

Warning About Extending Leads

35 replies

Evenstar · 02/06/2015 21:30

I just wanted to let people know about something that was shared on a local Facebook group this week, a dog that was being walked on an extending lead ran into a road after the brake on it failed and was killed instantly by a car.

I have decided to use a short traditional lead for walking near roads, just thought I would let others know to raise awareness of the danger.

OP posts:

Bubble2bubble · 02/06/2015 21:40

This happened to me last week. I was driving in town and a little dog on an extending lead suddenly ran into the road in front of me. I don't think the lead failed, but it was a long enough lead to allow it to do this IYSWIM. I had to brake and swerve and thankfully missed it - very scary and could so easily have ended horribly.

Mammicar · 02/06/2015 21:41

I always keep hold of the actual lead and lock it when I'm by the road x so if brakes did fail id be able to stop him

sweetkitty · 02/06/2015 21:47

I hate extending leads, don't see the point of them, gives the dog a little bit of freedom but not much when it's reigned back in. On large dogs you have no control at all. Always funny seeing two owners with extendi 's getting tangled too.

Oh and I was passing a dog on one and it lunged and took a bit out my dog before the owner could stop it and this was after I have moved off the pavement and was actually walking on the road to avoid it so the dog lunged across the pavement, onto the road to bite my dog.

MehsMum · 02/06/2015 21:57

Extending leads are notorious: I've never read clinching proof that a lead can take a finger off (as is often claimed) but I can believe it, having had a friend's dog's retractable lead catch me on the back of the leg

They also do not teach your dog good lead manners.

tabulahrasa · 02/06/2015 22:17

"I hate extending leads, don't see the point of them"

I have a dog that can't be offlead and I can't work longlines...

I don't walk him on it next to roads though, I swap him over from his short lead when we get where we're going.

BloodyDogHairs · 02/06/2015 22:20

Years ago I was having a picnic, there was no where to tie my dog so I stupidly tied the lead round my leg....yip you guessed it, my dog decided to give chase so the extending lead burned into my leg. What makes it worse is I tried to grab it so my fingers got hurt too

LokiBuddyBoo1 · 02/06/2015 22:29

Yeah I've been burnt with the extendable lead too.
I now use a normal lead.

GobblersKnob · 02/06/2015 22:35

I have used them in very open empty areas, but I don't like them on busy parks and they have no place on pavements at all imo, unless pulled short and locked.

A lady on our local park got one tangled around her leg, it cut in incredibly deeply and then got infected and ulcerated, it took nearly a year to heal.

My dog have had several bad burns on their legs from other dogs extending leads, I think they have a place but it is rarely in the way I see them being used.

ApplesTheHare · 02/06/2015 22:36

Have to say I cringe to see dogs on extending leads for walks. I'm sure they were only ever meant to be for training and don't help teach good manners out and about longer term.

EasyToEatTiger · 02/06/2015 23:06

Yikes! I got a nasty rope burn from a lunge line when horror dog took off. I'm so grateful it wasn't an extendable lead or I probably wouldn't have a leg!

Loafline · 03/06/2015 09:00

Im using my extending lead atm because ddog is recovering from an op and can't be off lead. I use to on foot paths - well away from traffic, it gives him a bit more freedom and I'll happily use it in the local park where he is normally off lead.
Like everything there is a way to use a piece of equipment and a way to abuse it.

Chattymummyhere · 03/06/2015 10:06

A lot of people get hurt from them. My younger brother was out walking with us and my parents and was walking my mums husky, the latch broke on the clip and came flying back and hit my brother right next to his eye with the remaining part of the metal clip. We tend to use the short ancol leads, slip lead or long lines. Depending on where we are going.

sweetkitty · 03/06/2015 10:09

I just don't like them, it's my personal opinion, may be right may be wrong but it's how I feel. I feel really sorry for dogs who are never allowed to run free, belt around a field at full speed or chase hell for leather after a ball. It's like taking a child to a play park and making them hold your hand the entire time. I know there are some dogs that will never have recall but most of them are small furries that the owners are too scared to let off in case they run away. They've never been taught recall and their owners think that by having them on a extendable lead they have a bit of freedom. Or owners who don't want their dog to get dirty!

Sorry it's just a bug bear of mine, when I'm out walking along the road with my own dog on a short lead and harness and have to pass a small dog on an extendi who is barking at my dog and trying to get at her, the leads getting wrapped around your legs and the owner is looking at you scared your dog might eat theirs, my dog is actually scared of the small yappy dog. Or your in the woods your dogs quite happily running along, you see a small dog on an extendi coming along, owner lifts the dog in case it gets eaten, all the while it's growling at your bemused looking dog who is staying well away. The owner then says "he's not good with other dogs" that's because you've never socialised him!

Not that I'm against small dogs but it's usually smallish dogs that are on extendi's as there is no way you can control a large dog on one. I do see a man down the park with his two retrievers on extendi's but that's because he doesn't want them to get dirty as they are poo rollers.

Sorry I do go on but I've had extendi burns on my leg too. hate them.

sweetkitty · 03/06/2015 10:16

My neighbours Lhasa Apso is walked up and down the pavement and grass verge here about 4 times a day always on an extendi as she's too frightened to let him off, he lunges at everything, he's gone for my dog a few times apparently as he's an alpha male!! My dogs a bitch and a big scaredy cat do no way she's given off any sort of aggression yet he lunges for her constantly. He's never allowed near another dog, I think they should just have gotten a cat.

Same with SILs chihuahua, never allowed off lead, he comes for a visit and tries and mounts our dog which is very funny as she's a ridgeback or if she tries to play with him he goes for her, she's scared of him but SIL will insist on bringing him to visit.

BankWadger · 03/06/2015 10:19

Nothing like walking along only to have a dog appear around the corner into the middle of the footpath right in front of you (and usually heading for the outside edge). Then because the owner is several feet behind around the corner you can't get past the dog on either side until the person catches up.

Please if your dog is approaching a corner, pull the lead in.

When this happened to me a couple of days ago I was alone and not walking fast. But if I was going fast/running or had the kids with me, I/they could have tripped, or an unknown effectively unattended dog could have jumped on my small children.

tabulahrasa · 03/06/2015 10:39

"The owner then says "he's not good with other dogs" that's because you've never socialised him!"

How do you know that though? I've had that accusation as well (though not a small dog) I bought the flexi after he developed behavioural issues because it became apparent that having him offlead was not going to be an option.

If he was small enough I'd pick him up as it's way easier than having to put him back on his short lead when I see a dog approaching and then having to wrestle with an angry dog until it goes away.

I see lots of people using them badly, round other dogs, people or next to roads unlocked...but that's not the flexi doing that, it's people.

sweetkitty · 03/06/2015 10:54

It's like everything else though for every dog owner who uses a extendi as they have no other option as the dog cannot go off lead there's probably about 9 using them incorrectly. If you've never allowed your dog off lead how do you know it will be ok or not?

If I see a dog coming on an extendi I usually move my dog the other side often onto the grass verge or the road if safe, it's just easier than getting tangled. As I've said the dog who attacked my dog actually lunged right across the verge, pavement and into the road to take a chunk out my dogs back. The dog is a rescue a puppy farm bitch never socialised poor thing so don't blame the dog but the owner who knew it is dog aggressive yet was walking it on a pavement on an extendi, just thankful one of my DC weren't in the way.

Yes as usual it's not the dogs or the leads but the people but the extendi makes people think they are giving their dogs a bit of freedom but aren't controlling them properly.

tabulahrasa · 03/06/2015 11:21

"Yes as usual it's not the dogs or the leads but the people but the extendi makes people think they are giving their dogs a bit of freedom but aren't controlling them properly."

That's what I mean...some people seem to treat them as if by virtue of being attached to them then their dog is under control, whatever the dog is actually doing.

I treat mine as if he's offlead (other than not letting him run at the end of it, lol) so to pass people or walk somewhere I wouldn't have him offlead, I put him back on his actual lead.

It just means I can reel him in before something is close enough that he's going to cause problems.

But it's nothing to do with the lead that makes people not sensible, they'd still be like that if they hadn't been invented.

Loafline · 03/06/2015 11:32

We went to a pub last week where dogs were supposed to be on lead - one idiot took this literally and allowed his dog to go anywhere he chose on an extendable lead. I didn't blame the lead - it's the owner who was the rude idiot - the extendable lead had a lock but owner chose not to use it.

bakingtins · 03/06/2015 11:43

They're a menace. There are too many people who let the dog run about madly at the full extent of the lead in areas where 'dogs on a lead' actually means 'dog under close control'. Some stupid woman caused an accident on the cycle path last week(shared by bikes and pedestrians) by letting the dog career across the path to see one on the opposite side, neatly trip-wiring a bike. V sad about the RTA dog, but I think there are many more owner-failure incidents than product-failures.

sweetkitty · 03/06/2015 12:12

Well I just don't like them and wish they could be banned although my DC would be heartbroken as they love testing them all out at PAH. I think all dogs, apart from a few such as rescues with behavioural problems, should be able to run about and display proper dog behaviour, it's not healthy for a dog never to meet another dog. Some of these small dogs are from working breeds and would run all day given half the chance, it's not healthy for them to be walked on lead for 20 mins a day.

Sorry just my opinion.

Madamecastafiore · 03/06/2015 12:14

This happened to me 14 years ago. Our beloved little Westie ran into the wheel of a car and broke its neck.

SistersofPercy · 03/06/2015 14:31

I prefer a tape extending lead to a cord. They are easier to grab in an emergency and don't cut into you.

Also, just because a dog isn't good with other dogs doesn't mean it hasn't been socialised. My last Scottie loved other dogs until he was attacked. No amount of socialisation cured him of his fear after that.

sweetkitty · 03/06/2015 15:59

Accidents do happen, one of our dogs died when high winds blown down a bit of our garden fence, my Dad let the dog out in the morning, dog found gap ran onto road and got run over

Was thinking of this thread today at lunchtime, 3 Lhasa Apsos getting walked up the road all on extendi leads, I find it very funny as they are all the same colour as well sometimes there are four of them all walked at lunchtime all spaced apart on extendi's, all the same fawn colour! Don't think they are related though

Fudgeface123 · 04/06/2015 14:27

I always take two leads out with me, normal short lead for when we're near roads and an extender for when we're somewhere she can run a bit more freely but not totally off the lead if there's other (not nice) dogs about

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